Contract talks resumed today (Tuesday) for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and public school employers, despite the government’s announcement last week of a new bargaining mandate intended to produce a 10-year deal.
Negotiations, which started in February, had been adjourned during the election campaign. The parties agreed to resume talks May 28, and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association said there are still issues to be discussed even though employers don’t yet have details of ... Read More …

Premier Christy Clark’s enthusiasm for a 10-year contract with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation echoes a similar call for labour peace in public schools a decade ago in Alberta.
It began on April Fool’s Day in 2004, with the Calgary Herald reporting:
“Long-term labour peace between the Alberta government and teachers could be in the works with an unprecedented 10-year contract being pitched by the province.
“Learning Minister Lyle Oberg has offered a multimillion-dollar sweetener ... Read More …

I became interested in Pacific Academy in Surrey after the mention of glossolalia in the school’s registration priorities was brought to my attention.
In accepting students, the K-12 school says it favours families who regularly attend Pentecostal or other charismatic Christian churches or those who attend evangelical Christian churches “and have experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by the sign of speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.”... Read More …

Don’t post anything on social media that reflects poorly on you or your school district.
That’s the main message from the Vancouver school district in proposed guidelines for employees using Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.
The guidelines, among the first to be developed in such detail by a B.C. school district, are on the agenda for discussion at a meeting Tuesday of the board’s education and student services committee.
There are 14 points, but this ... Read More …

Premier Christy Clark is promising labour peace in B.C. public schools and says a 10-year deal with teachers is the ticket.
Negotiating such a deal will be a challenge for sure – and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) isn’t the only union in K-12 schools. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 27,000 support workers, is also a force to be reckoned with.
On the same day that deputy education minister James ... Read More …

We all know that Premier Christy Clark wants a 10-year deal with teachers, but her government’s letter to bargaining teams Friday was a surprise nevertheless.
Writing to public-school employers, deputy education minister James Gorman said the previous bargaining directive will be rescinded and replaced “with one more reflective of the newly elected government’s priorities.”
As a result, the parties may wish to reconsider their upcoming bargaining dates until they receive further direction, he added in ... Read More …

The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) sets standards for the province’s 68,000 educators and investigates when there are allegations of misconduct or incompetence.
But what happens when those allegations are about B.C. educators working abroad?
That’s a question raised recently by a B.C. teacher who said she observed troublesome conduct by a colleague while employed in one of B.C.’s offshore schools. She filed a complaint with the TRB, and commissioner Bruce Preston conducted a preliminary ... Read More …

A recent call by Sydney Stockus for B.C. to provide better protection for young athletes from abusive coaches prompted two letters to the editor.
The first, published in the Victoria Times Colonist was from Ciara Glen:
While the article addresses the need to protect children from abusive coaches, I believe there is also a need to protect coaches from such abuse.
First, the terms “bully” and “abuse” are explosive and evocative words and should ... Read More …

The chief superintendent of the Calgary board of education is under fire this week for spending almost $15,000 so that she and two of her staff could travel to New Zealand for an international conference on thinking.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation described it as a taxpayer-funded vacation, according to a story in the Calgary Herald.
What I found most interesting was not the cost nor the destination. It was the fact that details of ... Read More …

The Vancouver board of education has hired a marketing research firm to find out what parents like and dislike about public schools. Families have lots of educational options these days, and the board wants to know what influences their choices.
“We need to constantly be innovating, improving the services and programs we offer, and ensuring the greatest success possible for every student. In order to do this effectively, we need feedback from our parent ... Read More …

The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) has won another victory in a complicated battle with employers over freedom of expression in public schools.
In a ruling Tuesday, the B.C. Court of Appeal sided with the BCTF, saying posters and buttons displayed by teachers as part of their union’s When Will They Learn campaign in 2008 and 2009 were protected by their Charter rights and did not detract from students’ education.
The court overturned an arbitrator’s ... Read More …

Stories about parental anger in Chilliwack over the rejection of a French immersion program mention an interesting development that affects parents throughout B.C.
The Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF), also known as School District 93, has changed a policy that previously restricted enrolment at its schools to students with at least one francophone parent. As a result of the change, many more children are now eligible to attend CSF schools in B.C.
A statement from public ... Read More …

The New Westminster school district business company – like its counterpart in Abbotsford – is wondering about its future in light of new regulations for B.C.’s offshore schools.
The New Westminster company also has a school in China that will be affected by the changes. Like the Abbotsford company, it recently discovered that its agent, Tom Harris, is not on the list of government-approved agents, which means he can no longer serve as the ... Read More …

Sydney Stockus of Victoria is a student at the University of Southern California and president of the Women’s Leadership Board at the Marshall School of Business. In this guest post, she recalls her personal experience as she calls for action to protect children from abusive coaches:
The video of Rutgers University basketball coach Mike Rice abusing his student athletes verbally and physically shocked ESPN and YouTube viewers and resulted in his firing on April 3. ... Read More …

It’s that time of year again when B.C. schools are warning parents to do their homework before allowing their kids to participate in overseas trips to celebrate graduation.
The focus this year seems to be on S-Trip! and its offer of the “grad trip experience”. Schools want parents to know that this is a private company and the trips are not approved or sponsored by public schools or school districts.
S-Trip! employees were recently asked ... Read More …

A small school district in southeastern B.C. plans to tackle greenhouse gas emissions at home this year rather than sending money to a Crown corporation.
Other school districts that are also unhappy with the requirement to buy carbon offsets from Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT) will be watching to see how the government responds.
Frank Lento, chairman of the Southeast Kootenay board of education, said trustees voted Tuesday to place in a reserve fund ... Read More …

New rules for B.C. offshore schools have had an unexpected impact in Abbotsford school district.
That district is one of several in B.C. that created business companies during the past decade – on a recommendation from the Liberals – to generate revenue for local K-12 schools. One of Abbotsford’s ventures was offshore schools, with one in South Korea and, as of last year, one in Colombia.
I contacted the district to ask about the Colombia ... Read More …

The only B.C. school district without an elected board – Cowichan Valley – will close six schools this year to save money.
The decision was announced at a Wednesday night meeting by superintendent Joe Rhodes and the district’s official trustee, Mike McKay, who was given the job July 1 after former education minister George Abbott fired the elected board for refusing to balance the 2013-14 budget. McKay is Surrey’s superintendent.
The district, which was ... Read More …

The unexpected Liberal victory has sparked concern about Premier Christy Clark‘s goal of a 10-year contract with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF).
The union wasn’t keen on the idea when it was floated in January, but few gave it much thought because polls were suggesting the Liberals wouldn’t be around for another term. At the time, BCTF president Susan Lambert described the idea as ludicrous.
Nevertheless, the proposal was part of the Liberal ... Read More …